Irvine

/ˈɜɹvɪn/

//ˈɜɹvɪn// name

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"irvine" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Irvine” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #13,938 in English word frequency and used as a proper noun.

#13,938
frequency rank, English
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Irvine vs Irwin
67% similar
Irvine vs Irving
83% similar
Irvine vs Irene
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Irvine
PropertyValue
HeadwordIrvine
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈɜɹvɪn/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,938
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Irvine” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Irvine lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for Irvine is 6 letters long, classified as a proper noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɜɹvɪn/. Corpus data places it at rank #13,938 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Irvine, with forms such as "irivne", "irrvine", and "irvien". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 8 confusable-pair relationships, "Irwin", "Irving", "Irene", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Probably from Celtic words cognate with Welsh ir, yr (“green, fresh”) + afon (“water”). The correct English form is Irvine, spelled I-R-V-I-N-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.
  2. 2
    A town in North Ayrshire council area, Scotland (OS grid ref NS3238).
  3. 3
    A hamlet in Alberta, Canada.
  4. 4
    A place in the United States:
  5. 5
    A place in the United States:
  6. 6
    A place in the United States:
  7. 7
    A place in the United States:
  8. 8
    A place in the United States:
  9. 9
    A surname from Scottish Gaelic derived from the place name.
  10. 10
    A male given name transferred from the surname.

Etymology

Probably from Celtic words cognate with Welsh ir, yr (“green, fresh”) + afon (“water”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: irivne,irrvine,irvien,irvinne,irvnie,irvvine,ivrine,rivine

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Irvine - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

irivne2irrvine1irvien2irvinne1irvnie2irvvine1ivrine2rivine2
Edit distance from "Irvine"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Irvine"?
"Irvine" is spelled I-R-V-I-N-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɜɹvɪn/.
What does "Irvine" mean?
As a proper noun, "Irvine" means: A river in Ayrshire, Scotland, which flows into the Firth of Clyde near the town of Irvine.
What words are commonly confused with "Irvine"?
"Irvine" is commonly confused with "Irwin", "Irving", "Irene". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Irvine"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Irvine" is /ˈɜɹvɪn/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "Irvine"?
Probably from Celtic words cognate with Welsh ir, yr (“green, fresh”) + afon (“water”). See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Irvine”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-R-V-I-N-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈɜɹvɪn/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Irwin” - see the side-by-side comparison. Irvine vs Irwin
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list